


Family

by graytheglowinggay



Series: The Android and the Engineer are in Love (DaForge Fics) [5]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Ableism, Adopted Children, Adoption, Autistic Data, Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Disability, Disabled Character, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Holodecks/Holosuites, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Mental Health Issues, Not Canon Compliant, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Sign Language, Trust Issues, aac, autistic characters, internalized ableism, probably not canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 05:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11456709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graytheglowinggay/pseuds/graytheglowinggay
Summary: Family isn't always given. Sometimes, you find it along the way.Or, Data and Geordi have four children, and each of them has a different story.





	1. Kianne

**Author's Note:**

> For formatting across the entire fic: Bold is a language other than Standard, and Italics are AAC (alternative/augmented communication).

With a job that he enjoyed, people around him that cared about him, and two years of marriage to the person he considered to be “the most beautiful man in the galaxy”, things were going pretty well for Data. Often, he thought about what his father would think of the life that his creation was living. The job would probably come as no surprise to him, but his choice of romantic partner might cause Dr. Soong to experience a double-take. Either way, Data could say that he was satisfied with his life. However, if there was one thing that he had learned over his years serving on the _Enterprise_ , it was that nothing stayed the same forever.

It all started with a simple trip to Betazed for a routine reassessment of the planet’s status in the Federation. Often, this would be cause for trouble when it came to more isolated planets or planets that had newly joined, but considering the relatively problem-free relationship that the planet had with other members, the reassessment was more of a formality than anything else. Because of this, all crewmembers that were not needed for the negotiations were permitted shore leave on the planet.

Upon hearing this news, Data began planning for a romantic trip. He asked Counselor Troi about which spots on the planet would be the best to visit, given the amount of time that they had, and she gave him a satisfactory list. He quickly ruled out those areas which would not appeal to him or Geordi (most of the attractions that revolved around bodies of water were quickly eliminated, given that Data usually ran into trouble staying afloat). Just the prospect of being able to spend all that time with his husband, without having to worry about his duties on the ship, was something that he had looked forward to significantly. Geordi had started referring to it as “the honeymoon we never had”; he had reacted to the shore leave announcement in much the same way that Data had. Before long, they were down on the planet, and neither of them knew where to start.

“So, what’s on the itinerary?” Geordi asked, taking in his surroundings with his hands on his hips.

“I have collated a list of sites on the planet that would most interest the two of us. I thought that the best place to start would be the University of Betazed library.” Data replied.

“Honey, that’d be delightful,” Geordi said and gave his husband a long kiss. He pulled away and put his hands on Data’s shoulders. “Look at us. We’ve got a week-long shore leave on a beautiful planet, and the first thing we’re visiting is the library. Couple of gay nerds, that’s what we are.”

Data was confused by this response and had to search through his memory banks in order to define the slang that Geordi had used. “Ah, yes. ‘Nerd’, a word coined in the late 20th century to describe someone who is bookish, or has narrowly defined interests that are outside the cultural norm, or is a social outcast. Originally used as an insult, in the early 21st century it was reclaimed and used as a label by those very same groups. And ‘gay’, an adjective used to refer to a person that is primarily or exclusively attracted to their own gender, most often used to refer to males of that nature. Are you saying that I am, ‘a gay nerd’?”

“If you are, then you’re a cute gay nerd.” Geordi ran his hands down Data’s arms and lifted both of Data’s hands up from where they rested at his sides.

“Although I find the term nonsensical, I can say that you are a ‘cute gay nerd’ as well.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Geordi murmured, leaning into another kiss. Geordi ran his hands down his husband’s body to eventually place them on his posterior and gave the area a suggestive squeeze.

“Darling,” Data softly moaned. “Should we not be going to the library?”

Geordi pulled away just enough to speak. “I suppose so, but if there’s anywhere else you want to be going—” he raised one eyebrow and lifted the corner of his mouth— “just let me know.”

Data took one of Geordi’s hands and led him off in the direction of the library. He hoped that the two of them would be able to maintain what the captain had taken to referring to as “proper conduct between officers”.

* * *

The library had proven to be quite fascinating to Data. Not only did it have a very impressive collection, but there were several students, most of whom planned on enrolling in Starfleet Academy after graduation, who recognized the two officers, and asked them several questions about what it was like to serve in Starfleet, especially on a vessel as reputable as the _Enterprise_. Data was certainly interested in answering their questions and ended up telling them several stories of his various exploits as an officer aboard Starfleet’s flagship.

“So, one of the most important, and also one of the most difficult, duties of a Starfleet officer is to always follow the Prime Directive,” Data explained. “There have been many times when even I have been tempted to break it. However, the damage that interfering with another planet’s development can cause can be catastrophic. For example…”

As he began to tell another story, Data noticed that Geordi had stood up from the table and walked over to a corner of the room where he was out of earshot, presumably to take a call. As he told the story, he wondered what the call was about. Perhaps something was wrong with the _Enterprise_ , and Geordi had to leave to fix it. If that was the case, Data would go back with him, as Data had concluded that shore leave would be significantly less enjoyable without his husband.

“Sir,” one of the students asked. “You just trailed off.”

“My apologies. My thoughts wandered. As I was saying—”

Before Data could launch back into his story, Geordi walked back over.

“Data, we have to leave. Counselor Troi wishes to see us, well, more specifically, you.”

* * *

After the two of them had said their goodbyes to the students, they swiftly exited the library.

“Did she tell you what she wished to see me about?” Data asked.

“She didn’t say much, said it would be better for you to just see it in person. However, I did get her to tell me that it was something about a child.” Geordi replied.

“Geordi, why would Counselor Troi need to see me about matters concerning a child? I hope that she is aware that children are not my area of expertise.” Data wondered.

“Whatever it is, she better be damned sure that you need to be there if she’s interrupting our honeymoon with it.”

“Love, we never did officially decide to call this our honeymoon. You can only have one, after all.”

“Does it matter? Considering how far away we are from a ‘traditional marriage’, I think it’s fine if we have multiple honeymoons.”

“That would be delightful, love.”

“Think of all the places that we could visit,” Geordi exclaimed. “You know what I want to do on a honeymoon? Watch a star explode. Like, the forces created by that star’s death throes don’t even compare to the force of my love for you.”

“That certainly would be romantic.” Data commented. They certainly were not a typical couple.

“And the beauty of the nebula left behind doesn’t compare to your beauty.” Geordi mused, his arms spread out wide as if to show the scope of his husband’s elegance.

“Love, are you just using the idea of this hypothetical honeymoon to wax poetic about your attraction towards me?”

Geordi smirked. “Perhaps.”

He put an arm around his husband’s shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. Data was forever grateful to have Geordi in his life, as the man brought so much light wherever he went. None of the hundreds of languages that Data knew had the proper words for the flutter in his stomach that he could never believe was just simple programming, or the weight of a living body next to his own in the middle of the night, or the fact that he would create and destroy _worlds_ for this man. Sometimes it scared him, the love that he felt. Sometimes it filled him with doubt, doubt that everything that he thought was certain about himself was not so certain, that it was all just a lie that he had tricked himself into believing. He never wanted to inform Geordi of the burden that he carried, but Data knew that he was aware. He always knew when something was wrong. Right now, Data pushed that doubt out of his mind and focused on the things that he had.

* * *

Data and Geordi were greeted at the door by a stern-looking Betazoid guard. Why there was a guard outside of a university building Data did not know, but he theorized that it was because of whatever— or whoever— was inside.

“Who are you?” the guard asked.

“I am Lieutenant Commander Data. This is Lieutenant Commander La Forge.” Data replied.

“You—” he gestured toward Data— “may come inside. You—” he gestured toward Geordi— “must stay outside.”

Geordi looked at his husband, confused. Data, too, was intrigued by the situation. He respected the need for security, but given the fact that Troi had called Geordi instead of him, he decided that he should come in as well.

“Commander La Forge was the recipient of the call from Counselor Troi. Therefore, he should come in with me.” Data stated.

The officer considered this for a moment and then sighed. “Fine, he can come in with you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He pushed a button on the side of the building, and the doors opened.

“‘Warn you’?” Geordi asked once they were inside the building and out of earshot. “I don’t like the feeling of this, Data.”

“Do you not trust Counselor Troi?”

“I trust her, but…” he sighed and shook his head. “A lot of stuff about this situation feels off to me.”

“I understand, Geordi, but you have to see—” Data heard a girl’s voice, coming from down the hall.

“Deanna! I feel another person coming in. His mind is very loud!”

Suddenly, Data understood why Troi had called for him.

“Geordi, love, I need you to stay here. In fact, I may need you to leave the building.”

“Leave? You specifically told the guy to let both of us in.” Geordi exclaimed.

“That was because I did not know why the guard asked you to stay outside. Now I understand. The child is a telepath. She must be feeling your emotions. They ask people to stay outside so their thoughts will not cause her mental duress. Do you see why I must ask you to leave?” Data explained.

“I see. Well, not really, but you know what I mean,” He kissed Data’s cheek. “Good luck.” He turned around and left the building.

Data continued walking down the hall.

“Deanna, the mind is gone, but I still hear footsteps. How?”

“You will see soon, Kianne.”

Data gently knocked on the door.

“The door is unlocked. You may come in.”

Data opened the door and saw two figures sitting on the floor. One of them was Counselor Troi. The other was a small child, no more than 5 years old. Data was not able to discern any other features, as her curly hair covered her face. She was clutching her knees to her chest, and slowly rocking back and forth on a bean bag chair. The child looked up to see the source of the noise, and then quickly looked back down.

“Kianne, this is Data,” Troi said.

“Hello, Kianne.”

“Why can’t I hear your mind?”

“Data is an android,” Troi explained. “That means that he doesn’t have thoughts or feelings that you can pick up on.”

“Then who was the mind that I felt earlier?”

“That was my husband, Geordi. I brought him inside, but once I knew that his ‘loud mind’ was hurting you, I asked him to leave.”

“I asked Data to come here because he’s a lot like you,” Troi said.

“You can feel people’s minds, too?” Kianne asked.

“I am not an empath, but I do experience problems with things being too loud.” Data explained.

“You feel things like I do?” Kianne started to rock faster, but while she did this she let go of her knees and started to flap her hands.

“Yes, I do.”

“When things are really loud or bright, it feels like there’s a storm in my head. It feels like there’s an army trying to get inside me through my eyes or my ears. I get really scared, and I feel like I’m being attacked.”

“I know how much that hurts, Kianne. I am not programmed to feel pain, but the static gets in my head, too.”

“I thought no one else felt this way,” Kianne mumbled.

“Most people do not feel these things, but I do, and you do, and many others as well. There are bad things that come with having brains like ours, but there are also wonderful things. I see that you are rocking right now. Does that feel good?”

“Really good. It helps me feel calmer.”

“I have experienced similar results as well. I have learned that the term for these kinds of behaviors is ‘stimming’, and it is a common and healthy practice. One thing that I really enjoy are the various things that my husband has created for me to stim with. He is an engineer, and he often finds spare parts that can be turned into something new.”

“Can I see some of those?” Kianne excitedly asked.

“I do not have any with me, but I will bring some tomorrow.”

“You’re coming back here tomorrow?”

“Of course. I would love to keep talking to you.”

“Data, can I speak with you for a moment?” Troi asked.

“Certainly.”

“We’re going to be leaving the room for just a little bit, okay?”

“Okay, Deanna.”

The two of them quickly walked out, Troi carefully closing the door behind them.

“You do realize that Kianne’s problems go beyond just simple issues with sensory input, right? She is extremely telepathically sensitive, even for a Betazoid.”

“That may be true, Counselor, but I believe that her problem can be solved with the same solutions that one would use to help her cope with sensory issues.”

“I’m certainly glad that you can help her, Data. She’s really taken a liking to you.” Troi smiled.

“That means a lot to me, Counselor. Once she has achieved relative success with coping with telepathic input, do you think I could introduce her to Geordi? I believe that the two of them would get along quite nicely.”

“Certainly, Data.”

* * *

 

Helping Kianne cope with sensory triggers certainly was not an easy process, but Data highly enjoyed it. The little Betazoid girl was a pleasure to work with, and she was constantly asking questions about everything, from the skills that she was learning to wanting to learn more about Data.

“Data, how do you know Deanna?” Kianne asked.

“Counselor Troi and I both work on the same ship, the USS _Enterprise_.” Data replied.

“What do you do on the ship?”

“I am the second officer and the chief science officer. I typically handle navigation and scientific research.”

“Does Geordi work on the ship?”

“Yes, he is the chief engineer, which means that he makes sure that the ship is functioning properly.”

“Can I meet him?”

“That depends on if Counselor Troi thinks that you can handle it.”

“I believe that Kianne has developed enough control over her telepathic abilities, that, if she thinks she’s ready, she can certainly meet Geordi,” Troi replied. “Are you ready, Kianne?”

“Yes!” Kianne exclaimed.

Troi chuckled. “I will call him and let him know that he can come.” She stepped out of the room to call Geordi.

“Data, is Geordi smart?”

“Very. He has to be, in order to do his job properly.”

Kianne giggled. “Is he handsome?”

“I find Geordi to be considerably attractive.”

“You’ve got a crush on him! You’ve got a crush on him!” Kianne teased.

“Geordi and I have been married for two years. I would certainly hope that there is more to our relationship than unreciprocated affection.”

It was at this moment that Geordi entered the room. Apparently, he had not been very far away.

“So, you’re the little lady that I’ve heard so much about. Data will not stop talking about you.” Geordi said.

Kianne blushed and looked at the floor.

“Aww, smart _and_ shy. Not unlike someone else I know.” At this, Geordi gave Data a slight nudge with his elbow.

“Dearest, if anything, you are the one who fulfills those two traits.” Data attempted a smirk.

“Why don’t we continue this conversation another time? Besides, I’m pretty sure there’s somebody in this room that you haven’t introduced me to.” Geordi turned his head toward Data and moved it in Kianne’s direction.

“Geordi, this is Kianne. Kianne, this is Geordi.” Data said.

Kianne started tugging on the leg of Geordi’s pants, so he squatted down to her level. “Data’s got a crush on you.” Kianne loudly whispered in Geordi’s ear.

“Oh, is that so?” Geordi exaggeratedly replied. “My, my, Data, this is unexpected behavior from you.”

This caused Kianne to start laughing.

“Well, it just so happens that I have a crush on you, too, Data.” Geordi continued.

“That is certainly convenient.” Data replied, sitting down next to Geordi.

“So, Kianne, what do you like to do?” Geordi asked.

“I like reading books.” she replied.

“What kind of books?”

“I like books that are about adventures. I like stories about brave people who go and do brave things.”

“I know many books that are like that. Perhaps someday I can show them all to you.” Data replied.

“I’m sure that Kianne would love that,” Troi said. “But it’s time for her to go to bed. You two can come back tomorrow, though.”

“That would be wonderful, Counselor.”

* * *

“Geordi, have you thought about where Kianne is going to go when we leave?” Data asked as the two of them laid in a hotel bed.

“I mean, I assume that she would stay here. Why?”

There was a long pause.

“I would like to see if the two of us can adopt her.”

“Wow, Data, that’s a pretty big thing to spring on a guy this late at night. What makes you think we can care for her? Hell, what makes you think we’re even ready to take care of a child?”

“It has already shown to be beneficial for Kianne to have someone whose brain works similarly to hers. She has also taken a liking to you, love.”

“Why not have Troi or someone else on the ship take care of her? Why us?”

“I know that we have not discussed having children before, but I feel that the two of us are ready to move onto a new stage of life: raising the next generation.”

“Now, that’s a pretty convincing argument, but what about the Federation throwing a fit over an android adopting a child?”

“As I believe you would say, dear, ‘to hell with the Federation’.”

“My, my, are you getting rebellious, Data?”

“Perhaps,” Data replied. He leaned in closer, and whispered, “Do you find such behavior attractive, darling?”

“Well, when you say it like that…” Geordi pulled Data in for a long, sensual kiss. “You could tell me anything and it’d still be hot.”

“I will be sure to file that away for future reference,” Data sat up slightly. “Should we let Counselor Troi know of our intentions?”

“That can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, babe, I just wanna fulfill a certain requirement for a honeymoon.”

“And what is that?” Data asked coyly.

Geordi pushed his husband back down on the bed and quickly straddled him. “Making love to you all night,” he whispered.

Calling Troi could certainly wait until morning.

* * *

Data and Geordi arrived at the building where Kianne was bright and early the next day, ready to inform Counselor Troi of their intentions. When they were greeted at the door to Kianne’s room by Troi, Data quickly asked her, “May we speak to you outside for a moment?”

“Yes, what is it?” Troi asked once the door had closed.

“Geordi and I wish to adopt Kianne.”

“Is that so?” Troi replied. By her tone of voice, she was not very surprised.

“We believe that we will be able to give her the care that she needs, as well as  the support of a loving family.”

“I’m sure she’ll be delighted to hear it. Why don’t we go inside and tell her now?”

The three of them entered the room.

“What were you guys talking about?” Kianne asked.

“Kianne, do you know what adoption is?” Geordi asked.

“Sure I do. It’s when a family says that they’ll take care of a kid without a family,” she replied. “Wait, am I being adopted?”

“Yes. Geordi and I wish to adopt you.” Data said.

“You’re gonna take care of me?” she asked, still in disbelief. “Are you gonna take me on the _Enterprise_?

“Of course. Living with us is part of it.” Geordi replied.

“What am I gonna call you two?”

“That’s up to you, Kianne.”

“I know! I’m going to call you—” she pointed at Geordi— “Daddy, and you—” she pointed at Data— “Dad-a. It’s like Data, except you’re my dad.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“I can feel your mind, Daddy. It feels like everything is full of light; warm, bright light.”

“I believe what you are feeling from him is happiness.” Data replied.

“It feels nice.”

Data picked Kianne up, and pulled his family, now one person larger, into a hug. He did not know what the future would hold, but whatever it was, he knew that he and Geordi would be ready for it. And with Kianne, too, as a part of that beautiful web that was called a family, Data knew that he would never let go.


	2. Aktuh

“Damn! Things are looking pretty bad down here. The Romulans certainly did a number on this outpost,” Geordi commed in from the ruins of the attacked planet.

“Damage report?” Picard replied from on the _Enterprise_.

“All the Klingons that we’ve found are dead. Those that weren’t killed by the direct attack were killed by the collapsing buildings.”

“Understood. Stand by to transport.”

“Wait! Data found a survivor!” Geordi yelled.

“A survivor? I thought you said they were all dead.”

“This one was hidden by some large pieces of debris. A kid, by the looks of it. 11 or 12 years old at most. His size allowed him to escape the worst of the collapse. However, he is unconscious. He’s pinned under a large support beam, I’d guess that his spine is broken.”

“Can you get him out?”

“Data already got him out,” Geordi explained. “ _Enterprise_ , three to beam directly to Sickbay.”

“Stand by to beam up.”

* * *

 

“So, what’s his condition, Doctor?” Geordi asked.

“Well, you were right when you thought his spine was broken. Most of his lower vertebrae are crushed, and his spinal cord is completely severed in one spot.” Dr. Crusher explained.

“You can fix that though, right?”

“I might be able to if that was all that’s wrong. But the damage goes beyond just that. Klingons have a small nerve center at the base of their spine, to help with controlling the function of the lower half of their body. His is so badly damaged that even if I was able to reconnect the spinal cord, he still wouldn’t be able to do anything. Total nervous system reconstruction is beyond any of our current capabilities.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

Dr. Crusher sighed. “Operate to help the bones fit together properly, ease some of the pain. Other than that, there’s not much we can do. Unless there’s some miracle procedure that I’m forgetting, he’s gonna be paralyzed for life.”

A nurse ran in and whispered into Dr. Crusher’s ear.

“We’re ready to operate on him. You should probably leave, Geordi. I’m sure you have other things that you need to take care of right now.” Dr. Crusher said.

“Can you let me know when he’s awake? I want to be there to tell him what happened,” he replied.

“Of course, but it’s certainly gonna be a while until we’re finished.”

“I can wait.”

* * *

 

As usual, Geordi was late to dinner. This wasn’t as much of a problem when it was just him and Data, especially when a delay for Geordi usually also meant a delay for Data, but with an expectant child at home, Geordi had been forced to gain a greater desire for punctuality. When the door to his quarters slid open, he was greeted by a little girl with her arms crossed over her chest in an exact imitation of her father.

“Daddy! Where were you?” Kianne demanded. “Dad-a and I had to eat without you!”

“I’m sorry, Kiki,” Geordi replied, kneeling down to Kianne’s level. “Did you guys save something for me?”

“Of course, Daddy. Dad-a’s got some food in the kitchen.” Kianne took Geordi’s hand and led him into the kitchen.

The moment that Kianne had come into Data and Geordi’s lives only a little over a year prior had changed their lives in so many wonderful ways. Integrating the precocious 6-year-old Betazoid into their family had certainly proven a challenge, especially since neither of them had been planning on adopting a child yet. However, despite the surprise of her arrival, becoming parents was a wonderful thing for the couple. Of course, there was much controversy surrounding the adoption of a child by an android, but given that Data had proven that he could help take care of the highly empathetic and alexithymic child far better than most others could, the authorities reluctantly agreed to give custody of Kianne to the couple.

There was a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of Geordi’s usual spot at the kitchen table. Across from him, Data was sitting in his chair, his hands clasped and resting on the table. Geordi quickly placed a kiss on his husband’s cheek, sat down in his chair, and looked down at the bowl sitting in front of him.

“Macaroni and cheese? Again?” Geordi asked.

“It is Kianne’s favorite,” Data replied matter-of-factly.

“We’ve had macaroni and cheese for dinner for the past 4 days.”

“She wanted it again tonight, so I prepared it for her. I wanted to make her happy.”

“Data, she needs to expand her palette. She can’t just go through life only eating macaroni and cheese.”

“Why not, Daddy?” Kianne asked, climbing into Geordi’s lap.

“Kiki, in order for your body to work, you need to have the right combination of nutrients in your food. Macaroni and cheese has some of the nutrients that you need, but not all of them. You have to eat other foods, too.”

Kianne crossed her arms and started swinging her foot back and forth. “I don’t want to eat other stuff. I want mac and cheese.”

“Kiki, do you want to get big and strong like Uncle Worf?” Geordi asked.

“Yes! Yes!”

“You can only get big and strong if you eat your fruits and vegetables. Now, why don’t we get you a nice plate of apple slices to start with?”

Kianne eagerly slid out of Geordi’s lap and made her ‘muscle poses’ (which consisted of her flexing her biceps and attempting to growl), earning a laugh from Geordi. Data walked over to the replicator and requested two apples, within a minute or two, he had cut them into slices shaped like stars, which Kianne began to eagerly eat.

“Data, you spoil her.” Geordi teased.

“Are you suggesting that I should refrain from exhibiting my skills in preparing food? I know that you enjoy it.” Data replied. He leaned in closer. “Besides, darling, you do not object when I exhibit my skills in… other areas,” he whispered, his tone of voice sending shivers down his husband’s spine. Geordi began to think about just how much he wanted to experience those “other areas” when he remembered his obligations in Sickbay.

“Data, can we have a word? In private?” Geordi asked.

Data nodded, and the two of them moved into the living space just off from the kitchen.

“I told Dr. Crusher that I wanted to see that kid when he woke up.”

“That is understandable.”

“I want you to come with me,” Geordi sighed and slowly shook his head. “It’s just, he’ll be so confused and scared when he wakes up, and I want to be there to help him through that. We found him, we’re probably the only ones that can answer some of his questions.”

“I will accompany you to Sickbay, but who will watch Kianne? Counselor Troi will most likely also be with the child, and Commander Riker is still aboard the Klingon bird-of-prey, explaining what happened on the planet.”

Geordi silently ran through his list of crewmembers that he trusted to look after Kianne. It was a small list, and Data was right when he pointed out that most of the people on the list were already occupied with some other task. Suddenly, he found the solution.

“Okay, honey, hear me out on this. Why don’t we ask Wesley? He’s got no other job to do, he’s most likely up for it, and he’s got a direct line to Dr. Crusher if anything goes wrong.”

“I suppose that he is our only solution.”

“Well, one of us better comm Wesley and tell him that he’s about to be assigned a new mission.”

* * *

“She’s already eaten dinner, she doesn’t need to take a bath, all you need to do is put her to bed at 20:00. You know how to contact us, and if there’s an emergency, we’ll be in Sickbay. Oh, and don’t let her have any sweets!” Geordi explained to a surprisingly calm Wesley.

“What time will you be back, Commander?” Wesley asked, already getting the tour of Kianne’s bedroom.

“Uncertain. However, we will let you know when we are on our way.” Data replied.

“Thanks for doing this on such short notice, Wes,” Geordi added.

“Oh, my mom’s been having me babysit the kids of people on her medical team for years now. This isn’t my first rodeo, sir.”

“We appreciate the help.” Data replied as he and Geordi walked out the door.

“Keep her out of trouble!” Geordi yelled as the doors slid shut.

“We’re waking him up soon,” Dr. Crusher said as Data and Geordi entered Sickbay. “We’re expecting him to be agitated when he wakes up, so Troi and Worf will be the first ones to interact with him.”

Geordi took Data’s hand, almost reflexively. It had become his go-to behavior when he was nervous. “How’d the surgery go?”

“We had to fuse most of his lumbar vertebrae back together and put in two rods to ensure that the bones would heal properly. The extent of the damage to his pelvic nerve center wasn’t as bad as we expected, but it’s still beyond our ability to heal. Even if we were able to get him to some non-existent specialist, we wouldn’t be able to get there before it became impossible to fix.” Dr. Crusher explained.

“Can we see him before he wakes up?” Geordi asked, unable to mask the desperation in his voice.

“Of course. Follow me.”

Dr. Crusher led the two men into the room where the child rested, and Geordi still felt uneasy. Ever since they had pulled that boy out from the rubble of the broken building, Geordi couldn’t get the image of it out of his head. He couldn’t imagine the pain that the Klingon had to go through, and even with his stronger body… just laying there, hoping that someone would come… it was simply unimaginable.

The boy had long, mid-brown hair, very curly, and skin as dark as Geordi’s. Even as he lay unconscious, there was a stern expression on his face.

Dr. Crusher nodded at a nurse, and he injected a hypo into the boy’s neck. Worf and Troi were sitting on either side of his bed, ready to help.

As soon as his eyes opened, he frantically looked around the room, hoping to find something recognizable but finding nothing. He started to yell, but his voice came out hoarse and quiet.

“ **Where am I?** ” he demanded in Klingon. Geordi, having a barely mediocre understanding of Klingon, relied on Data to translate.

“ **You are on the Federation ship** **_Enterprise_** **. You are safe.** ” Troi replied in her best Klingon.

“ **Where is my colony? Where is my family?** ”

“ **Your colony was destroyed by an attack by the Romulans. You are the only survivor.** ” Worf replied.

The boy screamed in rage.

“ **What is your name? Can you speak Standard?** ” Troi asked.

“I am Aktuh of the house of Kaas,” Aktuh replied, in Standard. “Why am I still alive?”

Troi looked at Dr. Crusher, unsure of what to do, and the doctor nodded reassuringly. “You were saved by two of our officers, Lieutenant Commander Data and Lieutenant Commander La Forge,” Troi explained, gesturing at Data and Geordi to step forward.

The Klingon’s eyes, a startlingly light brown, turned towards them, and he looked the two of them up and down and raised an eyebrow. “What are you? You do not look like any other humans that I have seen.”

“I am an android, and Commander La Forge is blind, and relies on his VISOR to see.” Data explained.

“Why did you save me?”

“Because we were searching for survivors in the colony, and we found you, unconscious but still alive. We knew that you were hurt, but we wanted to see what could be done.” Geordi said.

“If I was hurt, why not leave me? Why did I survive in this broken state while my family perished? I should have gone with them. I am no use like this.”

Aktuh’s words hit Geordi right in the heart. It sent him back to his darkest teenage years when all he could think about was his blindness, all he could wonder was why he was born with a mistake. He was useless without his VISOR, and even with it, he got confusing images and splitting headaches, and he asked himself why he even bothered at all, whether there was any use to trying.

“Aktuh, you’re not useless. You may not have your legs, but you still are who you are. You can do so many wonderful things still. You know what, you and I are going to make sure that you can keep going. We’ll make stuff like my VISOR so you can live your life to the fullest,” Geordi kneeled down, so he was at Aktuh’s level. “I’m not giving up on you.”

* * *

For several weeks, Geordi spent every spare moment that he could working to help Aktuh. Meal breaks, lulls in activity while on shift, hell, he probably would have worked through the night if it weren’t for Data stopping him. He wasn’t going to give up on Aktuh, no matter what. Eventually, all that work paid off.

Geordi half-walked, half-ran to Aktuh’s room, Data carrying the creation behind him. He simply couldn’t wait to show him what he’d done. He rang the chime on the door, and heard Aktuh respond, “It’s open”. Geordi may or may not have ran into the room after hearing this.

“You know how I said that we’d make stuff to help you?” Geordi asked.

“Yes, I remember,” Aktuh replied.

“I have something for you,” Geordi was beaming. “Hey, Data, bring it in!”

Data entered the room, pushing in front of him an electric wheelchair of Geordi’s own design. He’d followed blueprints, but most of the time just let the creation lead him wherever it would. The power and steering mechanisms were located in the arms of the chair, but there were also bars on the wheels that allowed for it to be controlled manually. He had tried to minimize the bulk of the chair, to both make it easier to carry and also easier to maneuver in tight spaces. He also prided himself on the comfort of the seat and the arms, making it, “better than walking in every way, shape, and form”.

“This,” Geordi said. “is to help you move again. Here, let’s get you set up.”

Aktuh was much heavier than he appeared, and it ended up being Data that had to lift him into the chair. However, it didn’t take him long to learn the controls, and before long he was driving circles around the room. Eventually, though, he stopped and turned to face Geordi.

“Thank you for creating this.” he said.

“It was my pleasure.” Geordi replied.

* * *

“Data, I want us to adopt Aktuh.” Geordi said that night as the two of them laid in bed.

“Okay.” Data replied.

“He needs a family, Data, and I think we can give him one— wait, okay?”

“I see no reason why we should not.”

“But what about the people who don’t think that an android should be a parent?”

“Geordi, you know as well as I do that there is no Klingon family that would adopt a child like Aktuh. Given that we are here and willing to take care of him, the authorities will see reason and allow us to adopt.”

“So… we’re gonna be dads. Again.” Geordi softly chuckled at how very different this conversation was from one that they had only a little over a year prior, but yet it led to the same result.

“We will certainly need larger quarters.”

* * *

 

Geordi was with Aktuh in his quarters and decided that it was time for him to ask him a question.

“Aktuh, what do you think about family?” Geordi asked.

“My family died three weeks ago,” Aktuh said frankly.

After the Klingon’s silence showed that he would say no more, Geordi continued. “Have I ever talked to you about my husband, Data?”

“Husband?” Aktuh asked.

“Yeah, we’ve been married for three years now. We’ve got a little girl, too. Six years old. Her name’s Kianne.

“Last night, I was thinking about my family. I definitely know that my family isn’t anywhere close to typical, but it’s still a family. All that you need for a family is a group of people who love and care about each other. This got me thinking about people who don’t have a family, who don’t have people that they love and care about or people who love and care about them. I was thinking about how wrong that is, and about how everyone deserves a family. And then I thought about you, Aktuh. About how your family got taken away from you by monsters, and I know that they’re monsters because that’s what they became that night.

“I talked to Data, and we decided that we want to adopt you. We want to make you a part of our family. We know that we can’t replace the people that you lost, but we’ll try our best to be there for you. We’ll try our best to raise you, to teach you, to protect you; to love and care for you, because that’s what a family does. I’ll be honest here, when I look at you, I see myself. I see a kid who sees himself as broken, a kid who thinks he’ll never be enough just because he’s different. I never want you to have to feel that way again.”

The two of them sat together in silence for a moment. “I want to be a part of your family,” Aktuh said.

Geordi could feel himself start to cry as he pulled Aktuh, _his son_ , into a hug, one from which he would never let go.


	3. Telyk

Every being in the universe is different. Not just in the “everybody is special” ways that many are taught at a young age, but in difficult and messy ways as well. Some differences make life harder for the one who is different, but more often it is those around them that assign the burdens to the minority.

Telyk had decided that he did not like the people that ran the Institute orphanage. They called it an orphanage, but it was more of a place for unwanted children than children that had no family because of circumstance. After all, the reason that Telyk had no family was because no one had wanted him. He was laughable; a Vulcan who could not verbally communicate. Of course, he could communicate with so many methods other than speech, but he was never given the opportunity to. Everyone wrote him off as a hopeless case. Soon, though, he would meet people that wouldn’t, people that would see him for who he was.

* * *

 

“Why exactly are we going to Vulcan, Captain?” Data asked.

“I’m not really sure myself. Some high-ups at the Vulcan Science Institute wish to see the scientific equipment aboard the _Enterprise_ , in exchange for a tour of their labs.” Picard explained.

“I am certainly interested in what the Institute has to offer.” Data replied.

“They’ll probably want to talk to you the most, seeing as you are the science officer of this vessel.”

“That would be a logical course of action.” Data replied.

Picard laughed slightly. Data was confused.

“Captain, I do not understand what was humorous about my response.”

“It just sounded exactly like something that a Vulcan would say. You’ll fit right in, Data.”

“Thank you, Captain. I am afraid that I must get going; I must prepare for our Vulcan visitors. Also, I was roped into doing a ‘family game night’, and I am slightly concerned about what will happen if I am late.”

“Good luck with that.”

* * *

 

Geordi hadn’t experienced a more intense Jenga game in his entire life.

“Father, you shook the table!” Aktuh accused from across the table.

“I did not touch the table during your turn. Geordi, however, had his hand resting on the tabletop during the entire round, so perhaps you should be directing your ire towards him.” Data replied.

“Data, that’s bull and you know it. I would _never_ cheat at Jenga.” Geordi exclaimed.

“Daddy, Dad-a, Aki, you all broke the rules. You can’t ever touch the table during someone’s turn.” Kianne interjected.

“Since when are you the expert on Jenga?” Aktuh retorted.

“Since when are you?”

“Children, if anything, I am the expert on Jenga.” Data added.

“Just because you know everything about Jenga doesn’t mean that you’re the expert,” Geordi replied.

“Is that not the definition of being an expert?”

“You just pull the blocks from the top!”

“It works, does it not?”

“But that’s not how you play the game!”

Kianne, clearly tired of the fighting, climbed up onto one of the kitchen chairs. “Daddy, Dad-a, no fighting! Fighting is bad!”

Aktuh wheeled over next to Kianne. “Kianne, we must move towards victory! The Jenga battle must not be abandoned! You and I, in league against Father and Pater. Together, we shall win!” He took his sister’s hand and lifted it above her head, which required a significant amount of effort on his part, given that Kianne stood taller than he did in that moment. “Do you accept our challenge?”

“Ha, you don’t stand a chance. The Jenga Master won’t be beaten by mere children!” Geordi roared. He slammed his fist on the table.

“Geordi, I thought that you said that I could not be referred to as ‘The Jenga Master’.” Data replied.

“What makes you think that I was talking about you?” Geordi asked. “Now, let’s show these kids what a real Jenga player can do.”

Data was the only one to hear the chime at the door, and his reply of “Enter” was too quiet for his family to hear over their uproarious Jenga battle cries, and so Captain Picard entered the DaForge residence (as they had taken to calling it) in the midst of one of the most intense battles that the ship had ever seen. Kianne had just masterfully pulled a block out of the middle of the tower, and she’d paraded it around the table before placing it on top of the stack. In fact, the three of them were so absorbed in their Jenga game that Picard and Data stared awkwardly at each other for a solid two minutes before Kianne noticed the Captain.

She gasped and covered her mouth. “Uncle Captain!” Kianne yelled and ran over to embrace Picard before stopping about 5 feet in front of him and standing rigidly at attention. “Sir,” she added.

“At ease,” he replied, slightly smiling. Hearing this, Kianne eagerly ran forward and hugged the Captain’s knees. “Did I interrupt anything?”

“We were playing Jenga, sir. A battle was about to commence.” Aktuh explained.

“I thought this was supposed to be Family Game Night, not the prelude to a civil war,” Picard commented. He turned toward Data. “Well, I assume that the both of us know that I’m not just here to pass judgement on the way that your family plays Jenga. Data, there are two representatives from the Institute that wish to speak with you.”  
“Why did they not call me here?” Data asked.

“The representatives wanted both ends of the call to be secure. The call is waiting for you in my ready room. The rest of you may continue your battle.” Picard nodded at the three that stood around the table, and they returned to their game. The Captain and Data left the latter’s quarters.

“You’ve certainly got quite the family unit going on,” Picard commented. “Wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when you were assigned to my crew.”

“And what did you expect, Captain?”

“Nothing much, really. You and your family continue to surprise me every day, Data.”

“Captain, there are times when you almost feel like a father to me.”

“Well, why else would you ask me to walk you down the aisle?” At this point, the two of them were not far away from the ready room. “Good luck with whatever they’re calling about.”

“I hope that it is nothing too serious.” Data replied.

Data entered the ready room, sat down in front of the viewscreen, and pressed a button to complete the call. The faces of two Vulcans, one male, one female, appeared on screen.

“Greetings. I am Dr. Strelon, and this is my colleague, Dr. Sylok,” the male, Dr. Strelon said. “Lieutenant Commander Data, I presume?”

“You presume correctly, Doctor,” He nodded, returning the formality. Never one to dance around the point, Data asked, “Why did the two of you need to call me, especially on a secure channel?”

“Commander, in addition to your tour of the Institute’s labs, there is a matter at the Institute that requires your personal attention.” Dr. Sylok said.

“And what would that be?”

“There is a child, Telyk, who is currently under the care of the Institute. He has posed a challenge to us. We have heard of your success with the Betazoid child Kianne and the Klingon child Aktuh. We wish to see if you will have similar results here.” Dr. Strelon explained.

“What has been your difficulties with Telyk?”

“He does not speak, despite having the physical capability to do so. We have tried many different methods to get him to speak, but to no avail.”

“Can he read and write?”

“Yes, in both Vulcan and Standard, but everything that he says is unintelligible.”

“I will see what I can do, but I do need to make one request that will ensure that I can help him to the best of my abilities.”

“And what is that request? If it is reasonable, we will attempt to fulfill it.”

“I would ask that my husband, Lieutenant Commander La Forge, comes with me to help Telyk. He is able to offer, for lack of a better term, a ‘human touch’ that I am unable to provide.”

“We understand. He may transport to the Institute after we have finished your tour. We await your arrival, Commander. Institute out.”

* * *

 

“Love, it appears that there is more that I need to do at the Institute than we previously thought.” Data said after the children had gone to sleep.

“And what is that?” Geordi replied, folding one of Kianne’s shirts (the children had yet to get to the age where they had to do their own laundry).

“There is a child that is under the care of the Institute that the scientists are having significant trouble taking care of.” Data explained.

“Why? Must be some kid if they can stump Vulcan’s best scientists.”

“He is nonverbal, with apparent disorganized speech. The scientists have yet to figure out how to communicate with him.”

“Well, if anyone can figure it out, it’s you.”

“I asked the scientists to let you come with as well. They said yes.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re planning on adopting a third kid. Two is enough. Hell, one was enough.”

“Love, if he turns out to have needs that are more complicated than the scientists can handle, we may be the best option for him. The situation at hand may turn out to be similar to Kianne’s. I do not want a child to grow up neglected when we could have cared for him.”

“Honey, I’ll go into this with an open mind, but we need to still be realistic.”

“I understand.”

* * *

 

Telyk hated his bed. The covers were too harsh and not heavy enough and the room was always too dark when they put him to bed. However, he couldn’t say this, so he was simply described as “difficult to put to bed”. He also hated the food that they gave him, always too hot or the wrong shape or everything was touching and it made him feel sick. He couldn’t voice his complaints here, either, so the reports labeled him “a picky eater”. And every day, they tried to get him to talk. He never could. He couldn’t get words out, he only made sounds, or sometimes no sound at all. They poked and prodded him, constantly checked his ears, mouth, and throat, and added “stubborn, refuses to vocalize” to the list.

Oh, how Telyk wanted to talk. There was nothing that he wanted more than to wake up one morning and be able to describe everything that happened to him. But instead, he was trapped by a voice that refused to cooperate and a mind that could never describe things in a satisfactory way. His greatest hope was for a voice, but his greatest fear was that he would never get one, that he would be stuck like this for the rest of his life: always uncomfortable, always misunderstood, always incomplete.

* * *

 

Data found the tour of the Vulcan Science Institute to be fascinating, and he was quite impressed with all the advancements that they were making. He hoped that the Vulcan scientists would learn just as much aboard the _Enterprise_ as he did visiting the Institute. But, as the tour came to a close, Data remembered the second reason he was there.

“Dr. Sylok, permission to transport Commander La Forge to my current location?” Data asked.

“Permission granted, Commander.” she replied.

Data pressed his combadge and relayed the same information to O’Brien, who quickly transported Geordi down to the planet’s surface. Just as Data had asked, he had also brought the bag that Data had packed the night before.

“Doctor, may you take us to where the child is being kept?

“Of course, Commander.”

They traveled to a wing of the Institute that Data had not visited on his tour. They took many turns and walked far into the building before they arrived at the place where the boy lived. One of the doctors unlocked the door, and the two of them entered what looked exactly like a typical Vulcan house. In fact, if Data had not traveled all that distance, he would say that they had left the Institute and gone somewhere else.

“He’s in the bedroom,” Dr. Strelon said. “Good luck.”

* * *

 

The door to Telyk’s bedroom opened, and two people who he didn’t know stepped in. They both looked very different from everyone else he had seen. One of them was very pale and stood strangely. The other was dark and didn’t appear to have eyes, just a band across his face where they would be. Telyk was slightly intimidated by them, but at least they hadn’t started yelling at him as soon as they walked in. The pale one walked over to where Telyk was sitting on the edge of his bed and kneeled down to his level.

“Hello, Telyk. My name is Data. I am here to help.”

This was the same thing that everyone that came to visit him said, but Telyk could tell that there was no ulterior motive behind Data’s words. Maybe it was because of the way he said it. Most people spoke to him slowly and deliberately, as if he wouldn’t understand otherwise. Of course, Telyk could perfectly understand what they said, and it just made him feel even more ashamed of himself.

“I have something that may help us communicate,” Data reached into a bag and pulled out a board. “This is a letter board. One side has the letters of the Vulcan alphabet, and the other has a whiteboard that you can write on. If you would prefer Standard, let me know. Would you like to say something to us?”

Data handed the letter board to Telyk, and he quickly spelled out “ ** _Why are you here?_** ”

“We are here to try to help you, Telyk. We have ways that you can communicate, without needing a voice.” Data replied.

“ ** _How do I know that you’re not like the others?_** ”

Data looked at the other man for a long moment. “The others have wanted to change you, to turn you into something that you are not. We do not wish to do this. We want to give you a voice, something that they never did.”

“ ** _How can I communicate if I cannot speak?_** ”

“Well, one of the methods you are using right now. This letter board, while crude, is allowing you to say things to us without the use of verbal language. There is also sign language, where you communicate with your hands instead of your mouth.” As Data said the second part, he moved his hands around in what Telyk assumed to be signing.

“ **_Is there any way I can speak out loud?_ ** ”

“Actually, Geordi has something that may allow you to do just that,” The dark man, Geordi, reached into a bag and pulled out a PADD similar to the ones that Telyk saw the doctors always using. “The things that you type into this PADD will be read aloud after you type them. Would you like to use Vulcan or Standard?”

“ ** _I would like to try Standard._** ”

Geordi tapped on the PADD screen a few times and handed it over to Telyk. He spelled out a simple greeting.

“ _Hello. I am Telyk_ ,” it said. The voice was low and monotone, nothing like the voice of a three-year-old, and yet it was perfect, somehow. After three long years of silence, he now had the tools to speak his mind.

“We can change the voice if you would prefer one that would better match a child of your age.” Data said.

“ _No, I like this one._ , Telyk replied. He started flapping his arms, causing the PADD to almost fall out of his lap.

“We can start by programming some simple phrases that you use often. For example, we could program in your favorite food. What is your favorite food, Telyk?” Data asked.

“ _I do not like most of the foods that they give to me. However, I do like cold, square carrots._ ”

“What food do they usually feed you?” Geordi asked.

“ _The food is too hot, or it is the wrong shape, or the food is touching. I do not eat these foods._ ”

“Do the doctors know this?”

 _“They merely see me as being difficult. There is not much I can do._ ”

“You know what?” Geordi exclaimed. “We’ll get you something that you want to eat. We’ll tell those doctors that you can’t eat those other foods, and before you know it you’ll be happily dining on cubed carrots.”

* * *

 

“We have figured out why Telyk does not eat what he is given.” Data said.

“And why is that?” Dr. Sylok asked.

“Hot foods, foods that are the wrong shape, and foods that are touching cause him discomfort. He cannot eat those foods.” Data explained.

“That is why he must eat them. He needs to get over these stubborn tendencies if he wishes to live a normal life.” Dr. Sylok calmly replied.

“Do you not understand that eating those things hurts him? None of you have taken the time to ask him what he really wants.” Geordi exclaimed.

“We have asked him, but he did not respond.”

“Because he _can’t_. He can’t talk out loud, it’s just not within his capabilities.”

“That is why we must teach him.”

“Is this the way you’ve been responding to all his problems? Just saying ‘he needs to get over it’? No wonder he feels so alone, none of you are trying to help him!”

Geordi turned around and stomped off.

“If you would excuse me, I would like to figure out what caused this emotional outburst.” Data said.

“Understood.” Dr. Sylok replied.

Data had to walk 10% faster than he normally did to catch up with his husband.

“Data, we have to take him back with us. He can’t stay here.” Geordi said.

“And why is that?”

“Because he’s being treated like shit here! They just see him as another one of their experiments; they don’t listen to him, they don’t do things the way he needs to, they just want him to become a normal Vulcan, something that he’s simply never gonna be!” Geordi took a deep breath and sighed. “He wasn’t meant to be a _normal_ Vulcan, and if he keeps being held to that standard, he’s never gonna be happy with himself. I mean, look at the two of us. It wouldn’t do us much good to hold ourselves to the standards of a typical human. We both have our strengths in addition to our weaknesses, and I know that Telyk does too. He just needs to discover what they are.”

“Geordi, will we be able to handle a third child? You yourself voiced concerns about it before we came here.” Data asked.

“That was while I was still thinking about this kid in the abstract. I couldn’t imagine that he was being treated so poorly by the scientists. I know that we can handle this. Besides, a little bit of stress for us is a small price to pay to ensure that a kid grows up taken care of.”

* * *

 

“Telyk, I do not believe that I have formally introduced you to my husband, Geordi.” Data said once he and Geordi had reentered Telyk’s room.

“ _Husband? I do not understand._ ”

“A husband is the term for a male with which one is in a legally recognized romantic relationship. Geordi is my husband. I am Geordi’s husband.”

“ _I see now._ ”

“What does it mean for someone to be a parent, Telyk?” Data asked.

“ _A parent is someone who raises a child, usually because of a biological connection to the child._ ”

“Are the people who gave birth to you your parents?”

“ _No. They did not raise me, so I do not consider them to be my parents._ ”

“Do you _want_ to have parents?”

“ _I do not know what it feels like to have parents, therefore, I do not know if I would want to have parents._ ”

“Would you like to find out?”

“ _Why are you asking me these questions?_ ”

“Geordi and I do not think that you are being cared for as you should here at the Institute. We desire to adopt you. This would mean that, in the eyes of the law, we would become your parents, despite the fact that we do not have a biological connection to you. You would come and live with us on the _Enterprise_ , along with our other two children. Is this something that you would wish to do?”

“ _I am not opposed to the idea. It seems… interesting._ ”

“Telyk, this is not a decision that we can go back on. Is this truly what you want?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Well, Data, it looks like we’re getting another kid after all.”

* * *

 

“Counselor Troi, we have chosen to adopt Telyk, as he was not getting proper care at the Institute. Will you please bring the children to your office, so we can make the introductions there?”

“Understood, Data. Do you want me to bring anyone else?”

“No, just them. Any more new people might startle him. Data out.”

The three of them were walking back out to the main atrium of the Institute so they could beam back to the _Enterprise_. Data was carrying what few belongings of Telyk’s that he wanted to bring with from the Institute, while Geordi helped guide the young Vulcan through what was most likely a completely alien location. Data looked down at the small Vulcan child that was holding Geordi’s hand. Out of his room and standing up, Data realized just how small Telyk was, even for a three-year-old. Clearly, his sensory issues meant that he wasn’t getting enough to eat.

“Now, in order for us to get up to the ship, we’re going to need to transport. It might be a little scary, seeing as this is your first time. Do you want me to hold you?” Geordi asked. Telyk furiously nodded in response, and so Geordi picked him up, resting the child’s head on his shoulder. Telyk hid his face in Geordi’s neck, and Geordi hummed reassuringly.

“Is he ready?” Data asked.

“Ready as he’ll ever be,” Geordi replied.

Data tapped his combadge. “ _Enterprise_ , three to beam up.”

* * *

 

Telyk hid his face the entire time that the three of them walked through the _Enterprise_ to Troi’s office. He was not sure what to think of meeting many new people at once, especially when it included two people that he would be living with. Telyk had never lived with anyone; it had always been him alone in his room. Data said that he would have his own bedroom in their family quarters, but all other spaces would be shared with the whole family. Geordi then said that Telyk could decorate his room however he wanted to. Telyk didn’t know how he would customize a space that was all his own. He wasn’t even sure what he liked and disliked, apart from foods and textures and things like that. It was almost a bit overwhelming, having all those decisions that he’d have to make.

Before long, they had arrived, and Telyk was as ready as he’d ever be to face the unknown.

“Kianne, Aktuh, we have someone that we’d like you to meet,” Geordi explained. “This is Telyk, your new younger brother.”

It was strange for Telyk to think of himself in relation to others. As someone’s brother. As someone’s son.

“Telyk, buddy, I’m gonna have to put you down, okay?” Geordi told him. Telyk nodded, and Geordi set him down on the ground. Telyk turned to look at his new siblings.

One of them was short, standing on her tiptoes and rocking back and forth, with curly hair obscuring her face. The other was sitting in a chair, hair pulled into a bun, looking at Telyk sternly, but not unkindly. Neither of them looked like Vulcans, or fully like Data or Geordi. Telyk assumed that they were adopted as well.

“Aunt Deanna told us that you can’t talk,” the standing one said. “But she says that you have a really cool computer voice, and all of us might be able to learn sign language so we can talk to you!” She held up her right hand, the middle and ring fingers curled in while the thumb, index finger, and pinky stuck out. “This one means ‘I love you’.”

The one in the chair moved forward slightly. “My name is Aktuh, and this is my sister, Kianne,” he said.

Telyk turned around and looked at Geordi expectantly. It took a moment, but Geordi understood what Telyk wanted, and pulled the PADD out of the bag, and handed it to him. He quickly typed out a message.

“ _I am Telyk._ ” he said.

Kianne ran over to Data and pulled on his pant leg. Data leaned down, and she said to him, “Dad-a! His mind feels like mine!”

Data cocked his head slightly to the side. “Intriguing.”

“Dad-a, which room is he going to sleep in?” Kianne asked.

“He will have his own room. We will be moving to larger quarters that can accommodate our larger family.” Data replied.

Kianne gasped. “Just like when Aki came!” she exclaimed.

“It will certainly be interesting,” Data noted. “It may be a challenge, but we are certainly ready for it.”

Kianne pulled Telyk into a hug. It was a sensation that he was not familiar with, yet it wasn’t unpleasant.

He had a feeling that he was going to enjoy being part of a family.


	4. Zulea

Zulea hated her family. This was not a sentiment that was harbored by many Cardassians, but Zulea supposed that she had never been like most Cardassians. She hated being attached to the name “Matak”, hated the expectations that were assigned to her by even the strangers in her life. She was just a disappointment, a disgrace to the family name, a nobody that could never grow into anything more.

* * *

 

Why her family needed to meet with members of Starfleet was beyond her. Zulea was familiar with the family business (they often were the recipients of old Cardassian ships that outlived their usefulness), but what the Federation would want with outdated ships that could barely reach warp anymore Zulea didn’t get. She was fairly sure that Starfleet wasn’t in desperate need of spare parts.

One good thing that came out of the family business for her was that she was sometimes able to tinker with the ships that came in. She had always had an interest in engineering and how things worked. It was a hobby that she was able to cultivate fairly easily, as her family always seemed to have new shipments coming in. Once her parents knew that Zulea wasn’t going to break anything, they let her have free reign in the shipyard. After all, it kept her out of the way and out of trouble. She was even able to sometimes earn money for herself by repairing things for people. Of course, that money was mostly spent on pain medication, but it wasn’t like she was getting much money for that from her parents.

Zulea heard a knock on her door, and her father, Sivor Matak, entered the room.

“The Starfleet representatives are arriving in an hour. I expect you to be ready to receive them along with the rest of us by then.” he said.

“Understood,” she replied. Zulea already knew that she was mostly just there as a show of the full strength of the Matak family, and she would most likely be seated as far away from the action as possible.

“Eebak is going to be talking to the Starfleet officers. This is his opportunity to apply what he has learned. Do not ruin this for him.”

“I won’t.”

“Dress nicely,” Sivor said, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Zulea let out held breath and sighed. It always felt like she was walking on eggshells around her father. He was always more proud of her older brother, Eebak, and always spent more time with him. After all, he wasn’t damaged like she was. Her mother, Tihea, was much nicer to her, but she was rarely at home, mostly spending her time at work. Zulea had other siblings, too, but they were always away at school, and when they came home, they spent their time with friends and mostly ignored her. Zulea had gotten to the point where she had resigned to being the forgotten Matak sibling, and her current place.

* * *

 

Zulea had dressed in a formal outfit, taken a large dose of pain medication, and waited for the arrival of the delegation from the _Enterprise_ with the rest of her family.

“I wonder what Starfleet needs with some old junk ships.” Eebak thought out loud.

“They’ve probably bitten off more than they can chew, and they need more material to build their ships.” another one of her brothers, Redek, said. He was slightly older than her age (which was about 15 standard years), and he was on break from schooling specifically to watch the negotiations with the delegation take place.

“You underestimate the intelligence of Starfleet, Redek. I doubt that they need our materials for something as simple as repairing or building ships.” Eebak replied.

Zulea heard a slight beep that indicated that the delegation had arrived, and she stood with her family to receive them. She wondered what the Starfleet officers would be like. She had often heard that the Federation was weak because they allowed technologically and culturally inferior species to be on the same level as those that were far stronger. Sivor often said that if they were smart, the Vulcans would have conquered Terra as soon as they had made first contact. Zulea, on the other hand, didn’t share this viewpoint. She knew what it was like to be inferior, and she saw the good there was in helping those that were weaker than you. Eebat often bemoaned those that assisted the powerless, as it just gave them the ability to rise against their rightful rulers, but the way that Zulea saw it, if you just treated them well from the beginning, they would have no reason to harbor malice against you.

* * *

Zulea found the variety of individuals that formed the delegation from the _Enterprise_ to be fascinating. Zulea was quickly informed during the introductions that among those present were the First Officer (representing the Captain, who had obligations on the ship), the Science Officer, the Ship’s Counselor, the Chief Engineer, and several members of the engineering crew. They all sat around a circular table, Starfleet on one side and the Mataks on the other. Tensions were high from the very beginning, and she could tell that her father and brother did not think very highly of the officers that they were dealing with. The main people that were talking on Starfleet’s side were the First Officer— named Riker— and the Chief Engineer— named La Forge, with occasional comments from the Ship’s Counselor— named Troi. The other officers were mostly just listening. Zulea did not understand why they were brought along, but it was nice that she wasn’t the only one that wasn’t involved. Zulea then realized that she still didn’t know what Starfleet needed her family’s ships for. They had mostly been arguing back and forth about quantity and prices, and who would be in charge of moving them; nothing had been said about the reason for the negotiations.

Zulea knew that she certainly couldn’t ask her brother about what was going on; he would probably scoff at her, and, besides that, he was already preoccupied with the discussion at hand. On her right, there was Data, the science officer from the _Enterprise_. He hadn’t said anything at all since the introductions, just watching and listening with an intensity that bordered on unnerving. Zulea had a feeling that he would have the answers that she sought, and before her better judgment could stop her, she tapped the officer on the shoulder and asked, “Why does Starfleet need these old ships?”

There was a brief moment of silence between the two of them as he turned to face her. He cocked his head slightly to the left, and answered, “Starfleet wishes to acquire these non-functional ships so they can be used to teach Starfleet Academy cadets about the ways that starships work in a hands-on manner. Were you not already informed of this?”

“My presence here is more of a formality than anything. I’m not exactly that involved in the family business,” Zulea replied. “Why are you here? You haven’t been talking or anything, and you aren’t one of the engineers either.”

“Officially, I am here to assist the proceedings in any way possible, particularly using my broad scope of knowledge and my rank as Second Officer. Unofficially, I am here for ‘moral support’.”

Zulea softly chuckled. “For who?”

“Lieutenant Commander La Forge is often nervous in high-stress situations such as these, especially those that involve interacting with strangers.”

Zulea looked over at La Forge. He had stood up out of his chair, and appeared to be yelling at Sivor, pointing his finger at him and everything.

“He seems to be doing pretty well now.” she commented.

“Engineering is a subject that he is passionate about.”

Zulea suddenly had a very strong desire to have a conversation with Commander La Forge. If he was as knowledgeable about engineering as he was passionate, she would probably be able to learn a lot from him.

“You seem to be very close to Commander La Forge. I’m really interested in engineering too. Do you think you could, I don’t know, pull a few strings so I can meet him?” she asked.

“Certainly,” At that very moment, Data suddenly turned his head to his right. Zulea saw La Forge storm out of the room, Riker kick a chair, and Troi put her head in her hands. “In fact, you may have an opportunity to right now. I believe that the negotiations have ceased for today. Come with me.”

Data led Zulea to where Commander La Forge was sulking against a wall.

“Stay here, for now. I will attempt to calm him down.” Data said, and walked over to where the other man stood.

“Those fucking Cardassians can kiss my ass. All of them. Lousy pricks. I bet they were staring at my VISOR, too. How can I take another day of this, Data?” La Forge grumbled. He turned away from Data.

“Geordi, dear, there is someone who wishes to speak with you. She has told me that she has a great deal of interest in engineering, and we both believe that being able to meet someone who has as much knowledge in the field as you do would be most beneficial,” Data nodded at Zulea to indicate that she should walk forward. “This is Zulea.”

Zulea awkwardly smiled, as if to indicate that she wasn’t like the other Cardassians. She extended her hand forward for a handshake.

La Forge returned it. “So, you’re interested in engineering?” he asked.

“Very much so, sir.” she replied.

“Hey, there’s no need for the ‘sir’s. There’s nothing formal about this.”

“I apologize for offending you.”

“You didn’t offend me. There’s no need to apologize if you didn’t do anything wrong. Anyway, what’s got you so interested in engineering?”

“My parents let me mess around with the junk ships in our possession. Once I proved to them that I wasn’t going to break any of them and that a lot of the stuff that I was doing was making them more useful, not less, they pretty much let me have free reign of the place.”

La Forge smiled. “Sounds like heaven.”

“Right now, I’m trying to figure out how the warp drives work, and why they’re broken. Warp mechanics is something that I’ve become very interested in recently.”

“And why exactly aren’t you off at some prestigious Cardassian engineering academy? It’s not like your parents don’t have the money.”

Zulea looked down at her feet and sighed. “My parents don’t think that I’m strong enough to have all that money spent on. Hell, I have to buy my own pain medication, and I’m weak enough that I need it. I’m just the family disappointment.”

After Zulea said this, the two Starfleet officers looked at each other, and something passed between them.

“That’s just bull,” La Forge said. “Not even giving you the chance to do something just because of your difficulties.”

“What do you know about my difficulties? Besides, difficulties are weaknesses,” she replied.

“Do you see this VISOR that I wear? I need it because I’m blind. Without it, I can’t see anything. And with it, when I wear it for too long, I get agonizing headaches that take hours to go away. Is this a weakness of character? Does my blindness make me a person unworthy of investment? I say no. From what I’ve heard so far, you’re one damn smart kid, and not letting you grow and learn even more because of one little thing about you is a shame.”

“Well, it’s not like I can do much about it. My family already thinks lowly enough of me as it is.”

There was a long silence. Data and La Forge looked at each other, and exchanged a few soft whispers with their backs turned to Zulea. They both turned back around, and Data gave La Forge a small nod. “You’re far too young to be enrolling in the Academy, but, as far as I know, it’s not against regulations for you to be on the _Enterprise_ as an acting officer and a student of mine. If anyone objects, I’ll just point to Wesley Crusher as evidence in our favor. Does that sound like something that you’d want to do?”

Zulea was shocked. This sounded like a prank, and yet La Forge said it in the sincerest way possible. “That would be wonderful, but I’m not sure if my family would feel the same way. They don’t exactly think very highly of Starfleet and the Federation.”

“What do you think will happen?” Data asked.

“Well, they’ll probably either say no or kick me out of the family.” Zulea frankly replied.

“Let’s just hope that they surprise us.”

* * *

 

Zulea sat in her room, on her bed, mulling over the exchange that she had with Data and La Forge a little over an hour prior. She had yet to muster up the courage to confront her father about the issue. She was afraid of what her father would say. She was afraid that he wouldn’t let her go, that he would keep an even tighter rein on her and she would lose the only opportunity she ever had to be someone. She hoped that Sivor would be open-minded, if for the first time in his life. For the first time in her life, she wanted to be seen as strong.

“Father, I wish to learn about engineering from the engineers on the _Enterprise_.” she said.

Sivor looked at her with confusion. “What did you just say, Zulea?”

“I said that I wish to study engineering on the _Enterprise_.”

“You want to learn from that host of weaklings? What makes you think that they can teach you?”

“Well, considering that no one’s even tried to teach me anything in my years of being alive, despite my repeated mentions of interest, maybe I’ve been barking up the wrong tree. Besides, I’m weak, or so I’m always told. Wouldn’t it make sense for me to be with other weak people?”

“You would betray your family and Cardassia for what? A fleeting hope?”

“What has Cardassia ever done for me, except beat me into the dirt and constantly remind me that I’m nothing? What have you ever done for me, besides doing the minimum to keep me alive and healthy? I’m not a part of this family, I never have, and it seems that I never will. So I don’t care if it’s just a fleeting hope, as long as it gets me away from here.”

“If you leave, you may never return, and you forfeit the name of Matak.”

“Fine by me.”

“Pack up your things. You leave with the rest of them tomorrow.”

Zulea had trouble concentrating on packing, which was no surprise to her. She had said what had been on her mind for years, and now that it was out there, she felt empty. She sat in the center of her room, on the floor, and looked around. What things did she want to keep with her? She knew that, most likely, everything that she left behind would be thrown away or sold as soon as she was gone, but this prospect didn’t faze her. They had to do what they had to do.

She didn’t see herself as a sentimental person. She supposed that was more to do with being a Cardassian than any uniqueness of her own. In fact, most of who she was felt to just be due to being a Cardassian. She was argumentative, sure, but that was just what Cardassians did. She always followed the rules, but that was because she knew how terrible the consequences were if she didn’t. She had to stay inside the mold she was given, despite all the pain it had caused her. Now, maybe she had a chance to break free.

* * *

 

After the negotiations had concluded the next day, Zulea immediately sought out La Forge.

“So, how did it go?” he asked.

“I’m allowed to go back with you, but I can never return. I’ve been disowned by my family. I am no longer a Matak. All my belongings are packed up. I’m ready to leave when you are.” she replied.

Despite his best efforts, Zulea could tell that La Forge was shocked. “We’ll have to get you quarters on the _Enterprise_. I’ll schedule a meeting with the Captain as soon as we arrive. You can stay with me until we go. I have a feeling that you don’t want to go back to where your family is.”

Zulea nodded. She took her belongings to the transporter room so she didn’t have to keep carrying them around, and walked with La Forge to where he was packing up his own things in his guest room. She stood outside, not wanting to intrude.

“Data, where did you put my PADD?” she heard from inside the room.

“I put it in your bag with the rest of your things.” Data replied.

“You knew that I was reading something on there!”

“I thought that you were finished.”

“I’ll be done with my book when I’m done with my book, dammit! It’s not like this’s the first time something like this has happened.”

“Name any previous instances of this behavior.”

“Oh, how about on that one date when you didn’t even give me a chance to read the wine list before you ordered?”

“You had told me before we were seated that you wanted the wine that would get you intoxicated as quickly as possible.”

“It’s about courtesy, Data.”

“Do you wish for me to stop doing these things for you? Do you wish to make the bed, and do the laundry, and make dinner, and take the children to their classes, and—”

“But you enjoy doing those things!”

“That is true, but it does not change the fact that I do the majority of the tasks that keep our quarters clean.”

“You know what, Data, let’s change the subject.”

“To what?”

“Zulea told me that she’s going to be coming with us. However, she said that her dad basically disowned her, and she’s not allowed to return home. Most likely, she’ll remain on the _Enterprise_ until she goes to the Academy, if she gets in.”

“And how do you feel about this?”

“It’s awful, Data. Just awful. From what she’s said, they wrote her off from the very beginning. They didn’t even give her a chance to prove herself.”

“You will most likely be the one in charge of her well-being while she is on the _Enterprise_ , Geordi. As her mentor, it is your duty to make sure that she is able to healthily transition to living on the _Enterprise_ and being around people and species that are completely foreign to her. I am confident that you will be able to handle this.”

“You’re wonderful, you know that?”

“You are wonderful as well.”

Feeling as though the conversation had ended, she stepped into the room. She didn’t know how to feel about what she had overheard, or even what to say to them.

“Are the two of you romantically involved?” she asked. Honestly, that was the question that she felt most comfortable asking.

Data said, “We have been married for 5 years, 8 months, 2 weeks, 2 days—”

“Yeah, we’re married.” La Forge interrupted.

She paused, trying to figure out what she could ask that wouldn’t give away that she had been listening.

“What’s going to happen to me on the _Enterprise_?” she asked.

“Well, you’re going to be taught just like we said you would. You’ll be given quarters just like any other person on the _Enterprise_ ; they’ll certainly have enough room for all your stuff. Other than that, well… there’s lots to do on the _Enterprise_ besides just working. There are lots of clubs and recreational groups formed by officers for pretty much any interest you could think of. There’s Ten Forward, there are the holodecks… If you want to try something, just ask.” La Forge replied.

“What is a holodeck?”

“A holodeck, short for Holographic Environment Simulator, is a room that creates a holographic simulation of the location and/or scenario input by the user. It is used for entertainment, training, and investigative purposes.” Data explained.

“You can program it to feel like anywhere in the galaxy, at any time in the present or past.” La Forge said wistfully.

“Anywhere?” Zulea excitedly asked.

“If you can think of it, the holodeck can make it.”

“I would like to use the holodeck when we arrive.”

“I’m sure after you’re settled in we can set you up with it.”

There was a soft beeping, and Data tapped the insignia on his chest. A voice emanated from the device.

It said, “Commander Data, we are preparing to beam you all up. Are you and Commander La Forge ready?”

“We are, sir, but the Cardassian girl who is accompanying us back may not be.” Data replied.

He turned toward Zulea, and asked, “Are you ready to leave?”

“All my stuff is in the transporter room, I can get it on the transporter pads so it’s easier to beam up. Other than that, yeah, I’m ready.”

She moved her bags onto the transporter and watched as they were beamed away. The four officers stepped onto the transporters, and Zulea followed them. Eebak was operating them. He did not look at her. It was as if she no longer existed. That might as well have been true. She felt like she no longer existed.

Zulea knew that life on the _Enterprise_ would be far different than life on Cardassia. She could admit that she was afraid. She was afraid of the unknown. That fear, though, was far overwhelmed by her fear of what she knew would happen if she had decided to stay. She would live her life as a nobody, less than nothing, a flaw in the Matak family. On the _Enterprise_ , with all these brave people, maybe she could become somebody.

The first thing that she noticed when she was beamed aboard the _Enterprise_ was just how large it was. It was far larger than any of the ships she had tinkered with, far larger, in fact, than any she had ever seen. It was nothing if not impressive. She was present when Data and La Forge explained the situation that she was in, and what she was going to do on the _Enterprise_ , and she was vaguely aware of what he had said in response, but the whole thing went by in a blur. Before she knew it, she was lying down on her new bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep because she knew that she had a big day of work the next day. Her mind was racing and she wanted nothing more than to try to learn more about the new world she had arrived in, but exhaustion got the better of her, and she quickly slipped away into sleep.

* * *

 

Zulea woke up the next morning in complete agony. It felt like there was fire running through her veins, and she couldn’t move her legs without the pain getting worse. She heard a faint beeping that she realized was coming from the combadge she had been given when she arrived on the ship. It was resting on her nightstand. It took all of her control to grab the combadge without dropping it. She tapped it to answer the call, and La Forge’s voice emanated from it.

“Hey, where are you? Your shift started five minutes ago.”

It took almost all of her energy to form coherent words. “Pain. Sickbay. Help. Can’t move.” she replied, groaning.

“Understood. Help is on the way.”

She laid back on the bed and tried to calm herself. She had woken up like this many times before, and often it had been much worse. Despite this, it was very strange for her to be able to just ask for help. Normally, she had to wait it out until she was able to move and get some pain medication. One of the first things that they had done when Zulea arrived was having her talk to the Chief Medical Officer about her condition. Not only had the CMO known what her condition was and knew how to treat it, but she also told Zulea that the pain medication she had been taking was actually quite dangerous and that she should stop taking it. Well, that’s what happened when you bought your pain medications off the street.

Several medical officers entered her room, and they moved her onto a stretcher. She was still holding onto the combadge when they carried her through the halls and set her up in the Sickbay with a medical bed and painkillers. Unfortunately, not only did she have to wait until the pain had subsided before she was released, but since one of the side effects of the medication was impaired balance and coordination, Dr. Crusher made Zulea stay because, as she said, “I don’t want you coming back here five minutes after you left with a split skull because you couldn’t wait until the medication wore off.” And so she laid on her bed in a haze; she couldn’t tell if it was from pain or from the medication. What she didn’t expect, though, was a visit from La Forge.

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked.

“Could be worse,” Zulea replied.

“Well, I brought you some food, and some manuals to read.” He placed a tray of food on her lap, and put a PADD on the bottom of her bed, near her feet. She looked the tray over. It was mostly healthy food— sliced fruits and vegetables, a whole-wheat roll— save for an ice cream sundae.

“The meal was Data’s idea, not mine. He said that you needed something nutritious to get your strength up,” He pointed to the sundae. “That was my idea. I figured that you needed a little something extra, given your current situation.

Zulea smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you. What’re the manuals on?”

“Just some stuff I found on warp mechanics, and on the _Enterprise_ ’s warp drive specifically. Figured that you’d want to do some reading up on it before you started working.”

“Wow, thank you again. You didn’t have to do this, Commander.”

“You don’t have to bother with any of those titles or ranks off-duty, Zulea. Just call me Geordi. You can save them for while we’re working.” La Forge— Geordi— said.

“O-okay,” she replied. It felt weird to talk to someone without any added formalities or titles. She had to consciously keep herself from adding a “sir” after everything she said.

“Once you’ve gotten the OK from Dr. Crusher that you can leave, meet me in Engineering. Since you missed your first day, I wasn’t able to show you around and let you get a feel for the place. It’s something I always do for new recruits when they arrive, and I’m not gonna let that slide for you,” he walked toward the exit to leave. “Also, you should probably change into your uniform. I’m pretty sure that wearing pajamas on-duty is against regulations.”

* * *

 

Zulea tried to slow her breathing as the turbolift took her down to Engineering. It had taken her some time to get used to the one-piece provisional uniform, as she had never worn anything like it before. However, the combadge was significantly easier to use when it was worn and not held in the hand. Dr. Crusher had been right when she told Zulea not to leave before the medication had fully worn off. Even though she had gotten the go-ahead from the CMO, she still felt dizzy, and she knew that even an hour previously walking in a straight line would have been impossible.

Far sooner than she would have liked, the turbolift arrived at engineering, and the doors slid open to reveal a room that was mostly empty. La Forge was standing at the center console, discussing with a Vulcan officer. Seeing Zulea enter, he wrapped up the conversation and turned toward her.

“So, feeling better, I presume?” he said.

“Yeah. Dr. Crusher wasn’t kidding when she said this stuff was strong,” she replied.

“You ready to get the tour?”

Engineering was far more contained than she initially imagined. When she asked about it, La Forge replied that a more spatially efficient engineering made for a more efficient ship. As much as she enjoyed the tour, Zulea’s thoughts kept returning to the holodeck, and how she wanted to see what it was. Once the two of them had returned to where they started, she finally asked.

“Commander, can you show me where the holodecks are, and how to operate one?”

“Certainly, Zulea. Follow me.”

La Forge led her through a good part of the ship before stopping in front of an archway.

“Well, here it is,” he said. “What exactly do you want to do?”

“I just want to visit somewhere. There’s this lake, back on Cardassia, called Lake Narses. Our family used to go there a lot. It’s somewhere that I used to go a lot when I was feeling bad.” she explained.

La Forge nodded. “Computer, create simulation. Location: Lake Narses, Cardassia; Time: current time.”

“Do you wish for there to be holographic lifeforms in this simulation?” the computer asked.

He turned toward her.

“Just animals, no people.” she said.

“Recreate fauna accurate to the species that live in the area. No simulation of sentient beings.”

“Understood,” There was a soft beeping. “Program complete. You may enter when ready.”

Zulea took a deep breath and stepped toward the doors. As they slid open, she was bathed in the soft light that filtered through clouds to the planet’s surface. She was startled by the heat and humidity of the environment; the _Enterprise_ was kept much cooler and drier than the climate of her homeworld. Though, perhaps, she was also surprised by how real it all felt. She could never have expected a computer-generated hologram to feel so much like home. It was all perfect, from the still surface of the lake, untouched by wind, to the overgrown grasses that rimmed its perimeter, to the large rock that she sat on whenever she visited. She walked slowly over to the rock, still not fully trusting the simulated world she was in. She sat on the rock and looked out at all she could see.

“So, you like it?” La Forge asked. His question startled her, as for a moment she had forgotten that he was there. For a moment, she had forgotten that he had even existed.

“It’s… It’s beautiful. Thank you, Geordi.” She remembered to use his first name.

He smiled. “Well, I’m assuming that you want some alone time?”

“That would be wonderful.”

“I’ll leave you to it.”

* * *

 

She spent every free moment she had in the Holodeck. The second time that she visited, she had figured out how to give orders to the computer. She mostly used this to adjust the time of day, but sometimes she asked it to replicate food for her. She tried to make what she had eaten at home, but it was never quite perfect. That was the only thing that reminded her that the landscape around her was nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

Of course, she enjoyed working with La Forge in Engineering as well. His enthusiasm for the subject as well as for teaching her was very refreshing. Under his tutelage, she learned more than she had in 5 years of learning on her own. Visits from Data were a delight as well. The Engineering crew often joked that he spent more time with La Forge than he did on the bridge, the place where he was supposed to be on duty. He had excuses, but most of them boiled down to either “there is a random mechanical problem that I spotted that is probably trivial and benign but I wanted to ask you about it anyway” or “I was lonely”. Any question that she asked him would lead to an in-depth explanation of a scientific concept or an event in history that she barely knew anything about beforehand.

Despite this company, she was always back at Lake Narses. It was no longer just a simulation for her. It was like she had never left Cardassia behind. In a way, it was everything that her homeworld was not; peaceful, without rules, a place where she was solitary. It was where she was just Zulea of Cardassia, not Zulea, the disappointing daughter of Matak. She felt like a monarch from the historical tales that Data told her. She felt powerful. She felt… free.

Another day, after her shift had ended, she was back at the lake. She was picking up handfuls of mud from the shoreline and tossing them into the lake. There wasn’t a purpose to her activity. It was just fun. Suddenly, a beep from the computer cut through the silence of the lake, as well as the sound of the holodeck doors sliding open.

“Who’s there?” she yelled out.

“Zulea?” a familiar voice replied. It was Data.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was checking to see if the holodeck was occupied. Geordi and I were planning to play a holodeck game with our children after dinner, and I did not want to have the children be excited to play a game, only for them to be disappointed when they were unable to.”

“What kind of game?” she asked. She walked up towards the doors where Data was.

“It is a simplified version of the bridge of a Galaxy-class starship, where the children are officers serving on the USS _Spot_ , under the command of ‘Captain Dad’ and ‘Commander Dad’. It is a fascinating activity.”

Zulea chuckled.

“Would you care to join us?”

Zulea wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She certainly wasn’t expecting the question.

“Oh, well, I don’t want to intrude…”

“Your presence would not be an intrusion. The children do wish to meet you.”

“Wait, they want to meet me?”

“Yes, they have heard about how their father is currently teaching someone, and they are very interested in figuring out who that is. Dinner and a game would be the perfect introduction. Besides, the USS _Spot_ is in need of a chief engineer.”

This act of inclusion was foreign to Zulea, and she felt awkward accepting it. She could tell how much it meant to Data for her to join them, so she said yes.

* * *

 

Data was, surprisingly, a competent chef. Although, most of the credit likely went to the replicator. It was a bit difficult for Zulea to confidently say what was for dinner, as many of the children were eating different things. Kianne had a large green drink in addition to the common meal of spaghetti and meatballs, and Telyk had a different meal altogether.

“What’s Kianne drinking?” she asked.

“It is a blended drink consisting of fruits and vegetables. It is the best way that we have found to get her to eat them.” Data replied.

“And Telyk’s plate?”

“Telyk has a very selective palate, and so he usually does not eat what the rest of us do. One thing that makes this feasible is that we have taught him how to use the replicator to make his own meal, thus saving us much time and energy.”

“One smart kid, huh?”

She saw Telyk touch his fingers to his lips and then lower his hand down.

“He’s saying ‘thank you’.” Kianne piped up.

“Oh, well, you’re welcome, Telyk,” she replied. She turned toward the parents. “What did he just do?” she asked.

“Telyk primarily communicates through sign language, as using text to speech is time-consuming and often more difficult.” Data explained.

“He was certainly a quick learner, though. For the first month or so it was mostly just him and Data signing back and forth, ignoring the rest of us.” Geordi remarked.

Zulea laughed.

“Zulea, why does your face look like that?” Kianne asked.

Normally, if anyone else had asked her a question like that, she would have slapped them right then and there. However, Kianne said it with so much innocence and candor that Zulea knew that there was no mean intent behind the words, just honesty.

“That’s because I’m a Cardassian. Just like how Telyk has pointed ears and Aktuh has a ridged forehead and you have black eyes. That’s just what we’re all like.” Zulea explained.

“I think it looks cool. Could I paint your face sometime?”

Zulea smiled. “Maybe.”

“Dad-a, I’m all done eating. Can we go do the game now?” Kianne asked, sliding her chair back from the table.

“That depends on whether everyone else is finished as well. Is everyone finished eating?”

There was a round of nods from the children.

“Well, if that is the case, we may go.”

All three children pushed their chairs away from the table and made a break for the door.

“Wait! You can’t go out on duty wearing that! It’s against regulations!” Geordi exclaimed.

The children started laughing. This was clearly a routine that they had done before.

“It looks like you need a uniform too, Lieutenant Zulea.”

* * *

 

It was certainly an amusing sight to see three children in Starfleet uniforms speed-walking down the ship’s hallways, followed by their parents, who were barely in control of them.

Telyk was wearing blue, as he was the science officer of the ship and Aktuh, the _Spot_ ’s helmsman, was wearing red. Kianne’s uniform was split between blue and gold, as she was both the doctor of the ship and the weapons officer. She explained this by saying that she couldn’t decide between the two jobs. Data and Geordi had exchanged their usual gold uniforms for command red, and Data was at least attempting to carry himself with the air of a captain. Zulea was wearing a gold uniform, as the Chief Engineer would, but the hastily replicated uniform’s sleeves were too long for her, and so they kept falling over her hands.

The children, in their eager frenzy, almost overshot the entrance to the holodeck, and so they had to come to a very quick stop. So quick, in fact, that Zulea almost ran into them. She quickly apologized but saw that the three of them were all standing at attention.

Data walked to the holodeck control pad. “Computer, initiate program ‘USS _Spot_ ’. Continue from previous stopping point.”

“Program complete. You may enter when ready.”

The doors to the holodeck opened, and Zulea found herself looking at a miniature version of the bridge of the _Enterprise_. It was certainly interesting. There were a few modifications that she noticed as soon as she entered, those including that the helmsman console did not have a chair, presumably so Aktuh could just roll up to it, and that the science station had an extra monitor on it. The use of second one she was not so sure of. Surprisingly, the children actually walked to their stations instead of running to them. Zulea took her place at the engineering station.

“ _Captain, what is our mission today?_ ” a computerized voice said. It was emanating from the monitor at the science station. Zulea remembered how Data had mentioned that Telyk sometimes communicated with text to speech instead of sign language. She had to admit, it was pretty clever.

“We are headed to solve a dispute on the Federation colony Unia III. There has been a small but persistent group of colonists that refuse to submit to the authority of the colony’s government. We have been assigned to assist the government and help restore order to the planet,” Data explained. “Aktuh, lay in the coordinates.”

“Coordinates laid in, sir,” Aktuh replied.

“Engage.”

* * *

 

Zulea had to admit, the adventure that they played through on the holodeck was very engaging. Data and Geordi had thought up a good story, and the children fulfilled their roles well. She could see why their family played those games. Once the game was over, it was time for the children to go to bed. Zulea sat on the couch in their living area as Data and Geordi put their children to bed. She hadn’t wanted to leave yet, and they hadn’t told her to leave. Besides, she knew that she’d just go back to Lake Narsus if she left. Her quarters never felt quite comfortable to her.

Zulea noticed the two officers enter the living room. Evidently, the children had been cooperative.

“You got them all to go to bed?” she asked.

“They are in their rooms, though they will most likely not fall asleep for some time longer.”

Zulea paused. “Can I ask you guys a favor?”

“Sure, Zulea.” Geordi replied.

“C-Can I stay here tonight? I can’t fall asleep in my quarters, and I know that if I go there, I’ll just end up back at Narsus.”

“Certainly. The couch is plenty comfortable, once you add some blankets and pillows. If you want to, I could probably kick someone out of their bed, if you would want to sleep there. I admit, you’re probably the only person they’d let do that, and that includes us.” Geordi replied. Data left to go replicate some bedding.

“Oh, the couch is fine. Thanks, by the way.”

“It’s no problem.”

* * *

 

Over many weeks, Zulea found herself spending more and more time with Data and Geordi, as well as with their family. She spent many nights in their quarters, as she found that she got less nightmares when she slept there. She went to Geordi when she was experiencing pain, and he helped her through it with the things that he’d learned. Her intellectual discussions with Data went on for hours at a time, to the point where Geordi had to remind them to go to sleep. She studied sign language at a breakneck pace, and worked on making Telyk’s communication PADD even more efficient and convenient. She tinkered with Aktuh’s wheelchair, trying to figure out how it worked. Eventually, Geordi just gave her the blueprints. She even let Kianne paint her face, with mixed results.

As she spent more and more time with them, she noticed that she visited Narsus less and less. Eventually, she hardly went there at all. She realized that Narsus was just her holding onto a home that no longer existed; that, maybe, never had. And with the realization of an illusionary home also came the understanding that she had a new home: where five very different beings, and now, maybe six, aligned.

* * *

 

After the three kids were put to bed, on a night not very different from the night that she had asked her first favor, Zulea came to Data and Geordi with a question.

“Can you guys adopt me?”

There was a stunned silence. “Well, of course we will, but why do you ask?”

“You guys are basically my dads in everything but name. You feed me, teach me, let me sleep at your house, I figured that we might as well make it official,” She paused and took a deep breath. “It goes beyond just that, though. I can tell that you two care about me, a lot. You want me to be happy, you want me to go somewhere in life, you want me to feel _loved_ ,” She paused again. “I have felt more at home here, in this past month, than I ever felt in the fifteen years that I lived on Cardassia.” She could feel herself start to cry. She had never let herself cry around anyone before.

“Zulea… You don’t need a piece of paper to be our daughter. We know.”

Data said nothing, just hugged her. The two of them held her close. She let them. She knew that here, she could be who she was without being weak. She knew that she was strong, strong in ways that Cardassia had never seen. Joined with others that were flawed like her, yet strong, too, Zulea found home.


End file.
